Want to take a nap, but don’t want to go home or have a safe place to do it? Come on over to the Changeling Cocoon Cave! Experience a refreshing nap like never before in trustworthy changeling hooves. For those interested, you can find us in a cave at the base of Ponyville Mountain!
Shining Armor couldn’t comprehend what the flyer was advertising. He had to read it not once, not twice, but five times before it sunk in. He wasn’t sure if he liked what was being promoted.
“Uh, Twily?” Shining beckoned his sister’s attention. When she came over from the Apple family’s market stall, he pointed his hoof at the flyer. “What’s this?”
Twilight followed his hoof, and smiled. “It’s a new business partnership between myself and Thorax. He got a visit from a pony a few months ago who requested to be temporarily cocooned. After he was let out, he suggested-.”
“Wait, wait, wait,” Shining stopped her to check something. “This pony that visited the Changeling Hive let himself willingly be cocooned?”
“Yep, and after he got out, he was so well-rested that he came up with this idea to provide changeling cocoons as a service, like a spa treatment. Thorax thought it was an interesting suggestion, and I thought so too. It would certainly help them start a royal treasury.”
“So, instead of being forcibly imprisoned,” Shining clarified, an eyebrow raised, “ponies would pay to let changelings seal them inside cocoons?”
“That’s right.”
“For how long?”
“That depends on the customer.” Staring in the direction the mountain stood, Twilight made a decision. “Actually, instead of standing here and explaining it all to you, how about I show you?”
“Um, okay,” Shining agreed after a moment’s hesitation, and began to follow his sister out of the Ponyville marketplace.
This isn’t how I expected my visit to Twily to go, Shining Armor thought to himself.
As the siblings approached the mountain, Shining recalled that Twilight had once told him about an adult dragon that lived on it that she and her friends had to convince to move somewhere else because his smoke would’ve cast Equestria in darkness for a millennium. According to later conversations Twilight had with Dragon Lord Ember that she told him about, that dragon must’ve had a medical condition that made him emit excessive smoke when he slept. Ember admitted that condition was unusual, even for fire-breathing dragons.
Thankfully, they didn’t have to climb the mountain to reach the cave the advertisement had mentioned. All they had to do was follow the few ponies, which Shining was surprised by, to a nearby cave away from the path that would’ve led up the mountain.
Under a tent at the cave’s mouth, a light purple changeling sat behind a desk with a clipboard in hoof and a coin register beside her.
“A one hour session will cost you fifteen bits,” the changeling told her current customer with a pleasant smile. The customer, a yellow pegasus stallion with a white mane and tail, gladly passed over the bits. Once she was sure all the money was there, the changeling called for another changeling, this one orange. “Optimistic Orange will get you situated. Enjoy your rest!” Once the stallion followed the orange changeling into the cave, she addressed her next customer. “Hi! Welcome to the Changeling Cocoon Cave, how can we help you today?”
Twilight and Shining waited in line, and when it was their turn, the receptionist beamed at them.
“Princess Twilight, Prince Shining, what brings you here?” she greeted.
“Hi there, Lavender Order! How’s business today?” Twilight asked.
“Great! I think the word of mouth is spreading. It seems like we’ve gotten a few new customers every day since we set up shop here. We’re not super busy yet, but once we are, I’ll be sure to let you know.”
“Excellent. I’m really hoping that this new business improves the bond between the Hive and Equestria. Anyway, I’m here today because I wanted to show my brother what we’ve been up to since he last stopped by Ponyville.” Twilight motioned to Shining Armor, who waved politely in greeting. “Mind if we head back?”
“Of course! You’re the reason this whole thing was possible to set up in the first place. Go right ahead.” Lavender Order waved them through.
“Lavender Order is the changeling in charge,” Twilight explained as she and Shining went into the cave, “she’s really organized so Thorax appointed her the job. I like heading this project with her.”
“Hm, somecreature that’s a shade of purple and has a knack for organization. I wonder how you get along so well,” Shining couldn’t help but tease.
“Hey, she is not the changeling version of me. Receptionists are supposed to be approachable so potential customers won’t go back out the door the moment they set hoof inside. I just find her very welcoming.” Their entry into a more spacious part of the cave allowed her to change the topic. “Here we are.”
Shining couldn’t help but look around the room-like cave in awe. Scattered across the room were various changelings and ponies interacting. Some changelings were lighting their horns and casting their species’ spell to create the mesh meant to encase their captives. Though with the changelings no longer imprisoning creatures, Shining figured the correct term would be customer or client. Once the pony was fully enclosed in a cocoon, the changeling would buzz their wings and hoist the new cocoon up to the top of the room, where they would cast the mesh-creating spell once more to attach it to the ceiling.
Those who weren’t in the process of starting their cocoons were in other phases of the service. Ponies who were already fully enclosed were checked on by attending changelings, who made sure the cocoons were still secure and that the occupants weren’t suffering a bad reaction to the experience. For those who were finishing their session, a changeling would detach their cocoons from the ceiling and carry them down to the ground, where the changeling would cast their species’ other spell to break open the cocoon shells and help them wake up. The ponies that emerged from the shells had splotches of goo stuck to their bodies, but they didn’t appear to mind.
In every stage of the operation, Shining Armor noted that everycreature was genuinely smiling. The changelings weren’t wearing devious smiles that would give him the impression they were looking forward to their next meal of stolen love, and the ponies seemed to be having a pleasant time. Even those inside the cocoons were smiling contently in what he assumed was a blissful sleep. And the cocoons…
“The cocoons… they’re not all green,” Shining said in surprise.
Twilight nodded at his observation. “Yeah, turns out when the changelings shared love and gained more individual appearances, the cocoons they create gained individual looks too. According to Thorax and Pharynx, the color of the cocoons is supposed to coordinate who they belong to.”
“They certainly seem a lot nicer than when they were that nasty green,” Shining commented, and when he noticed a red changeling passing them, added, “No offense.”
“None taken. Now that we know they could’ve been this colorful the whole time, the old color seems stupid,” the changeling replied, shrugging and then flying up to a collection of red cocoons to examine the customers inside them.
Shining watched the red changeling do his checks for a few moments before he felt a hoof tap him on a foreleg. He turned, and saw his sister motioning towards the entrance.
“Can we talk outside?”
“Sure.”
They made their way back out to the daylight, and Twilight gave Lavender Order a few praising words before she led Shining around a corner to where Lavender and any customers wouldn’t see them.
“You’re still concerned about the changelings, aren’t you?” She asked him before he could ask what she wanted to discuss, effectively answering his question before he got it out.
“What?” He blinked at Twilight in confusion.
“You’re still apprehensive about the changelings. That’s why you asked about the flyer, isn’t it?” He could tell by her expression that she was mad. The way her brow furrowed when she took something seriously. “Shiny, I thought we went over this after we befriended Thorax. The changelings weren’t the problem. It was Chrysalis. You can’t go blaming a whole species for one creature’s crimes.”
“Maybe not, but it’s hard. Chrysalis had the Hive attack Canterlot. Chrysalis had the Hive kidnap us and cocoon us! So when I see a flyer that basically says ‘Hey, want us to cocoon you?’ You can’t blame me for being a little sketched out.”
“And that’s exactly the point of this new business Thorax and I set up,” Twilight pointed out, “since the changelings are good now, we can show that their abilities have positive benefits. We can show that we don’t have to be afraid of the changelings and what they can do anymore. By turning something they used to do that was bad into something good, we can improve the bonds between us and them.”
Shining looked away, unsure how to argue.
Twilight sighed. “Look, I get it. Of everycreature, you and Cadence were probably mentally scarred by Chrysalis the most. But, Cadence has moved past all that since we met Thorax, so why haven’t you?”
“Because I couldn’t protect anybody,” Shining said, looking back at her. “I got my cutie mark in protecting others, and I couldn’t protect anybody either time we were under attack by them- by Chrysalis, I mean. We all got put in cocoons, Twilight. If it weren’t for Starlight and the others, we would’ve lost entirely.”
“But we didn’t lose, we won and we’ll never be put in that position again. I understand why you feel the need to be hard on yourself, but you shouldn’t be.” She closed the gap between them, hugging him in consolation. “The changelings are our friends now, and you need to learn to trust more changelings than just Thorax.”
Shining breathed into his sister’s embrace. “I know.”
Twilight pulled away. “Which is why I think you should go and try one of their one hour cocoon sessions.”
“Wait, what?”
“Show them that you’re open to trusting them, that you’re open to trusting me and Thorax with this new idea. I’ll wait until you come back out.” Twilight gave him a mischievous grin. “Besides, you’re a prince who’s in charge of the Crystal Empire guard, and also father to the most energetic alicorn in the world. I think you could use a good rest.”
“I don’t know…”
“One hour. That’s all I’m asking, and you never have to do it again if you don’t want to. Thorax hoofpicked the changelings running this, and I doubt any of them would attempt anything bad.”
“You’d keep an eye on them, though?”
“If it helps you, then yes.”
I do trust Twily, and I trust Thorax too. Chrysalis is the one at fault, not all of them. Chrysalis is at fault. Chrysalis is at fault.
Performing an action he had seen his wife and Twilight do plenty of times, Shining inhaled as he lifted a hoof to his chest, then exhaled and extended his hoof outward as if he was pushing away everything that was making him tense.
With a calm, clear mind, he looked his sister in the eye and said, “One hour.”
Twilight gave him a grateful smile, and led him back to the cave entrance.
“Hey, Lavender Order? Shining would like to try an hour of your cocoon rest,” Twilight informed the changeling at the desk.
“He would?” Lavender glanced at Shining Armor, stunned that a royal was asking for one of their sessions.
“Y-yeah,” Shining confirmed. “I wanted to see if it was any different from before… y’know.”
“We didn’t plan on coming out here initially so we don’t have any bits,” Twilight said. “We can pay you back later before Shining leaves to return home.”
Lavender waved a dismissive hoof. “Don’t worry about the bits. This one is free.” She called over one of the nearest changelings. “Pleasure Pink, Prince Shining Armor would like an hour session. Could you help him, please?”
A pink changeling came forward and bowed to the royal siblings. “Right this way, your highness.”
With a little encouragement from Twilight, Shining followed Pleasure into the cave where the cocoons were.
Pleasure led him over to an open area underneath the ceiling that hadn’t been occupied by cocoons yet, and faced him.
“Ready?” she checked.
Shining swallowed back a rising refusal. “Yeah.”
“Okay, now this is going to get a little sticky and you’re going to feel a bit groggy, but don’t worry. That’s normal,” Pleasure said, lighting up her horn.
“I’ve been cocooned before,” Shining felt the need to point out.
“Not willingly,” Pleasure replied. “Plus, we think its good customer service to explain some of the details to a first-time customer.”
Shining willed himself to stay still as Pleasure began casting her spell. He glanced down at his hooves, and watched as pink mesh started to form around them. As the mesh was generated up his legs, he started to feel that drowsy sensation that Pleasure had mentioned. When the mesh reached his belly and flanks, he felt an odd tingle running through his body, and his sleepy feeling increased. The mesh proceeded to cover his back and was steadily being created around his neck and head.
“One last bit should do it,” Pleasure said before she completed the cocoon, and he was bathed in a pink glow as if he was in a night club that only had pink lights.
The color reminded him of his wife.
“Okay, here we go,” he heard Pleasure say, though the sound was a bit muffled by the cocoon shell between them. Then, he felt a weightless feeling in his gut and the cocoon around him, snapping him out of the sluggish state. Through the tinted shell, he could see Pleasure Pink buzzing her wings and deduced she was holding him with her changeling magic. A short flight up to the top of the room later, he watched as best he could as she lifted his cocoon, tail end up, and fired another short blast of her mesh-creation spell to attach his shell to the ceiling. The hold of changeling magic around him ceased, and he felt like he weighed something again. Staring through the shell, he met Pleasure Pink’s eyes as she gave his cocoon a look over.
“Have a good nap, your highness,” she said kindly, and flew back down to the floor, him watching as she went.
Left alone, Shining supposed all that was left to do now was fall asleep. A sudden little drip caught his attention. Straining his neck in the tight space to try and look at his flanks, he spotted a little splotch of pink goo. Without warning, he felt another one, this time on his other side. Deducing the goo was coming from above, he squinted up past his tail to the ceiling of his cocoon, and saw a small pool of the stuff was forming and dripping down on him periodically. After a few more hits, he found that he was progressively getting sleepier and sleepier.
I trust Twily. I trust Thorax.
His eyelids began to droop shut, and once they completed the action, he curled up slightly as if he was at home snug in bed with Cadence.
“…Shi… Shiny… Time to wake up…”
The prince felt a hoof prodding him, and he raised one of his own to shoo them away. “Alright, alright… I’m up, I’m up.” Getting up on all fours, Shining Armor opened his eyes blearily, turning in the direction he heard his sister. “What is it?”
Twilight beamed at him. “Your session is over. It’s time to head back to the castle for dinner.”
Shaking himself awake, Shining blinked as he processed what his sister had told him. “Already?” Looking down at the ground around him, he noticed he stood in the middle of a little mess of broken cocoon shell and cocoon goo. “It feels like I only fell asleep a few minutes ago.”
Pleasure Pink smiled knowingly. “You’re not the first to feel that way. Even back in the old days before we transformed, anycreature inside one of our cocoons fell asleep really fast. It’s just one of the cocoons’ effects.” Her smile became slightly embarrassed. “Sorry about the goo stuck to your fur,” she apologized while pointing to a bit on Shining’s right foreleg, “we’re still figuring out if we need to give out towels for customers to dry it off, or if we need to give customers a way to wash off and then give out towels to dry off after that.”
“Eh, it’s just a little slime,” Shining said in reply, wiping the goo from his foreleg and then moving to wipe off any other patches he felt. “Y’know, now that I think about it, this stuff doesn’t feel too bad.”
Lavender Order giggled behind a hoof. “The visitor at the Hive said the same thing.”
“I’m glad that everything turned out okay,” Twilight said. “How about we get going? Don’t want to keep Spike waiting too long.”
“Yeah, sure.” Facing Pleasure Pink and Lavender Order, Shining nodded at them. “Thanks for the session, both of you.”
“Of course,” Pleasure replied with a curt bow of her head, “and please, do come back soon. It’s probably not every day we’re going to get a royal client in here.”
“I hope you tell others about your experience here. We’re going to need a lot of positive publicity if we’re going to establish cocoon spas as a new kind of business,” Lavender said, bowing slightly like Pleasure.
“I will. Good luck!” With that, Shining and Twilight left the cave, and started heading back into town.
“So, what do you think, big brother?” Twilight asked once it was just the two of them.
Shining took a moment to think over his answer. Contrary to his concerns when he first saw the flyer in the marketplace, he found that he had nothing negative to say about everything he had experienced since then. “It wasn’t that bad, actually. Everycreature was really nice, the customers seem happy, and I had a really good nap to boot. I’ll have to drop by here again sometime, maybe even bring Cadence next time. She likes the spa at home, but it doesn’t have anything like that, yet.”
“I’m glad the experience worked out for you,” Twilight said, “and while it might not wipe away any lingering troubles you have from what Chrysalis did, I hope it’s a step in the right direction.”
“I think it is,” Shining confirmed, “I trusted you and Thorax’s judgment, and it paid off. Nothing bad happened, and I had a good time. Hopefully anypony with the same difficulties as me will have the same experience I did back there.”
“I hope so too,” Twilight said, exhaling in relief. “I really want this to work out.”
“I’m sure it will, Twily,” Shining comforted, leaning over to embrace his younger sister, “I’m sure it will.”
Author's Note
Turns out I had an idea for a sequel to Post-Change Cocoons. I realized that given his experiences, Shining Armor would have difficulties with something like a cocoon spa if those started being a thing, and would be prime for some character development.
Just like last time, playing it safe with the rating because I'm not sure.
Thank you for reading, and please leave a comment below if you enjoyed the story.